On Saturday Aug. 7 at 10 a.m., a select group of trail-savvy ultramarathon runners will toe the line in the 10th annual STORMY (麻豆社国产Test of Running Mettle, Yeah!) at the Brennan Park community center in Squamish. Their goal - to run Canada's most rugged 100-mile race.
"You'd be amazed by the cross section of otherwise normal people who participate in events such as STORMY," said race director Wendy Montgomery, who has represented Canada on the National 100K Run Team and completed the famous Western States 100-mile Endurance Run in California.
"The 100-mile distance is the ultimate challenge for a runner. It's the answer to 'What's next?' for those of us who enjoy running long distances."
When night falls, the runners will don headlamps and perhaps be joined by a "pacer" who will accompany them until sunrise.
Runners may share the dark, uneven trails with black bear, skunk or even cougars. Food, fluids and moral support are provided at roughly 10-kilometre intervals.
A larger group of 50-mile individual and relay runners will join in at 6 a.m. the following morning. The race concludes at 6 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 8) with an outdoor barbecue in the park for runners and event volunteers.
Bragging rights and the satisfaction of accomplishment go to participants who complete 100-mile distance under 30 hours or 50-miles under 12 hours.
STORMY was conceived in 2001 as a way for trailrunners to compare their times to mountain bikers on the famous Test of Metal 64K trail loop.
Under Montgomery's direction, the run course was extended in 2007 to a more standard 50-mile (80K) running distance. The 100-mile runners will complete two laps of the mountainous course.
"The field for the 100-miler has grown steadily and become increasingly competitive over the past few years," said Montgomery. "We've encouraged only the strongest, most experienced local distance runners to take the challenge. I'm proud to announce that we've assembled one of the most competitive fields of distance runners ever seen in Canada.
"Most of the 100-mile participants are over 40 years old and have at least one 100-miler under their belt. A large number are coming from the United States. Given that the advantage men have over women in running races diminishes with the distance, I'm not surprised that many of the starters are women. It's possible that the overall race winner will be a woman."
A detailed agenda is at www.stormytrailrace.ca. STORMY is a non-profit event that supports community groups in the 麻豆社国产area.
